“I’m happy here.” He gave me a smile, the charming one that I’d seen work with businesswomen and heiresses alike.
“Fine. Whatevs. Tommy’s part of the Kelly family who ownEl Jove i Bel, Lush and a couple of other places. His cousin’s Ashley Kelly who Marcus sometimes hangs out with.” She started to rub sunscreen on her legs. “That’s all I know. Livi might know more, especially about the Kellys – they’ve been on Ibiza as long as she has.” Lala looked over at Hunter, who I thought she might’ve slept with last night. “Can you get me a mojito? Would you mind?”
He was too caught up in her magic to say no.
Monty had carried on massaging my foot, talking to Jeremy and Layton when Lara moved on from discussing the bartender.
I suspected I was Monty’s latest target, shared childhood or not. Yesterday, he’d been overly attentive, checking on me for drinks, swapping seats when the sun was in my eyes, asking me about the course I was starting in New York in the fall. It had been a year or so since I’d last seen him properly, that was when we’d both been in Paris and we’d spent a day drinking coffee and wandering around the Louvre.
For him, I was a trophy. He could say – or know, because Monty wasn’t one to brag about conquests – that he’d had both the Kearney sisters, and while Lala wasn’t one for being picky, I was.
I was a challenge, which was why I figured I was getting all of his attention right now.
“You should let me do your back.” His words were meant for my ears only, Hunter and Jeremy now talking about football and England’s chance in the European Cup. “I’m pretty good at loosening any knots.”
“She’ll have plenty of those.” Lala sipped her mojito, Hunter perched next to her. “My sister spends too much time at a desk and not enough time bent over it.”
“We can rectify that.” Monty almost whispered the words, his hand moving up my legs.
“Lala doesn’t know everything.” I sat up, put a hand on one of Monty’s forearms. “Thank you for the foot massage. I’m going to get a drink – would you like one?” I left my hand there for a little longer, hoping the brush off was kind.
Monty would be an easy fling, a way to scratch an itch that had been burning for a while. He was young and wild and beautiful, the world sat at his feet to worship him, and it was something to be the centre of his attention.
But my thoughts kept wandering back to the man in the bar. Older, darker. He held secrets that the likes of Monty would never dream existed.
“This isn’t going to be sweet.”
“Give me your hard limits.”
Those were what I’d thought about last night when I’d been in bed, my hand slipping between my legs to try and find a release that was always just out of reach.
“I’ll have a mojito.” He slowly slipped his hand away. “Want any help?”
“I’m good. Thank you.”
I stood up and headed inside where there was a well-stocked bar with jugs of pre-mixed cocktails, and some healthy smoothies that had been popular earlier. I poured four mojitos, knowing that as soon as I got back, someone’s glass would be empty.
There were words being shouted as heated as the day when I got back. Lala was sitting in a deck chair, looking from Jeremy to Deanna and back, sipping her drink as if she was watching a tennis match.
I passed a mojito to Monty and sat back down on the sun lounger. He’d moved onto a chair, and was smoking a cigarette, half watching what was happening with his friend.
“You fucking told me you were finished with her!” Deanna’s arms were waving around.
Jeremy looked ready to jump overboard. “I was finished with her.”
I picked up my book, blurring their argument so it became noise. In another few minutes it would be over. An hour or so after that, it’d have been forgotten.
“Guys, I think you should take this elsewhere.” Monty stepped in, stubbing out his cigarette in an ash tray he’d been holding. “It was entertaining for about two minutes and now it’s wrecking the vibe.”
“She fucking started it.” Jeremy pointed at Deanna.
I hadn’t even realised they knew each other before today.
“You fucking finish it then. Seriously, man. We just want to chill.” Monty sat back down again and looked out to sea. “There’s a party tonight on Formentera. Who’s up for it?”
Everyone was too quiet now.
Lara looked over at me. “I think I’ll head home after this afternoon. Let’s chill here, catch the rays when this bad juju fucks off.” Her glare at Deanna was intense. “Jay Jay, what do you want to do?”
